Answers
App market questions, answered with data
Every number below comes from our own dataset — 1M+ iOS apps tracked daily — not from recycled 2019 blog posts. Short answers, real distributions, honest error bars.
App revenue & money
How much does an app make?
Median revenue across 761,898 ranked iOS apps — and why the average lies.
Read the numbers →How much does it cost to make an app?
Build-cost benchmarks vs what apps actually earn back — payback math included.
Read the numbers →How much do apps make from ads?
eCPM benchmarks, per-ad math, and the store-side odds for ad-funded apps.
Read the numbers →Average app revenue by category
Every App Store category ranked by median monthly revenue.
Read the numbers →How many apps make money?
The real odds an app earns anything at all, from 746,534 apps.
Read the numbers →Most profitable app categories (2026)
Categories ranked by odds of success, not headline totals.
Read the numbers →How much do indie iOS developers make?
Earnings distribution across 282,907 developer accounts.
Read the numbers →Free vs paid vs subscription
Which pricing model actually wins, by category and revenue.
Read the numbers →How many downloads is good?
Download benchmarks by percentile — what 'good' means in numbers.
Read the numbers →Famous app revenue
How much does Duolingo make?
$748M reported for 2024 — and the #1 education app in our App Store money chart.
Read the numbers →How much does Headspace make?
A ~$300M business whose App Store consumer-spend signal is startlingly small.
Read the numbers →How much does Calm make?
Our estimate puts Calm at #6 in Health & Fitness — far ahead of Headspace in-store.
Read the numbers →How much does Strava make?
Reportedly ~$275M a year — and just outside the App Store fitness top 10.
Read the numbers →How much does MyFitnessPal make?
The veteran calorie counter — now out-grossed 7× in-store by an AI newcomer.
Read the numbers →How much does Noom make?
From a claimed $1B year to today's App Store reality, in labeled estimates.
Read the numbers →How much does Tinder make?
About $1.9B a year reported — and Hinge is now within 0.4% in App Store spend.
Read the numbers →How much does Candy Crush make?
A $20B lifetime franchise — daily, yearly and per-storefront numbers.
Read the numbers →How much does Telegram make?
A billion users, $1B+ reported revenue — and a tiny App Store footprint.
Read the numbers →How much does WhatsApp make?
WhatsApp sells nothing in the App Store — here's how the money actually flows.
Read the numbers →How much does Snapchat make?
$5.4B in reported ad revenue vs what Snapchat+ grosses in the store.
Read the numbers →How much does Cash App make?
#1 Finance app in our money chart, with $5.2B in reported gross profit.
Read the numbers →Niche revenue deep-dives
How much do meditation apps make?
Revenue distribution across 647 meditation apps.
Read the numbers →How much do journaling apps make?
1,502 journaling apps, from zero to the top earner.
Read the numbers →How much do VPN apps make?
1,052 VPN apps — a brutal winner-take-most market.
Read the numbers →How much do weather apps make?
3,090 weather apps and the subscription shift.
Read the numbers →How much do calculator apps make?
3,807 calculator apps — utility niches by the numbers.
Read the numbers →Market size & App Store stats
How many apps are in the App Store?
The 2026 count — tracked daily, not quoted from 2019.
Read the numbers →How many apps launch every day?
Daily iOS release volume and what you're really competing with.
Read the numbers →How many new apps get users?
Cohort data: what happens to apps in their first months.
Read the numbers →What is the average app size?
Median download is ~50 MB — the spread will surprise you.
Read the numbers →What is a good app rating?
4.5 stars is merely average. The real bar, from 744,874 apps.
Read the numbers →What % of apps get updated?
Abandonment rates from 1,037,841 apps — most of the store is dead.
Read the numbers →App localization statistics
How many languages iOS apps actually support.
Read the numbers →ASO & method
How long does ASO take?
Honest timelines before keywords move — with data, not vibes.
Read the numbers →How to estimate app downloads
The estimation method itself, including its error bars.
Read the numbers →App Store fees explained
30%, 15% and 0% — which commission you'll really pay.
Read the numbers →Tool comparisons
Sensor Tower vs Appfigures vs GetAppNiche
Three tools, three different jobs — which fits yours.
Read the numbers →AppTweak vs MobileAction vs GetAppNiche
ASO suites compared on data depth and price.
Read the numbers →Appfigures vs AppTweak
Reporting tool or ASO suite? The 2026 breakdown.
Read the numbers →Did Sensor Tower acquire data.ai?
The 2024 acquisition and what it means for pricing.
Read the numbers →Is Starter Story worth it?
Pricing and an honest look at what you get.
Read the numbers →Want the raw data behind these answers? Browse the top grossing iOS apps ranked by revenue free, or filter all 3.6M+ apps yourself in GetAppNiche Pro.